This invention relates to the production of arylene sulfide polymers. In one of its aspects, this invention relates to a novel method for producing arylene sulfide polymers and to the polymers themselves. In another of its aspects, this invention relates to the variation of the properties of arylene sulfide polymers depending on the proportions of the reactants used.
In one or more of its specific aspects, this invention pertains to a novel method for producing polymers such as those produced by the method of U.S. Pat. No. 3,354,129 and other processes for producing arylene sulfide polymers. U.S. Pat. No. 3,354,129 discloses a method for producing polymers from polyhalo-substituted aromatics, alkali metal sulfides and polar organic compounds. There have been other methods set forth using similar reactants, like U.S. Pat. No. 3,940,375 which uses an alkali metal salt of a halothiophenol as sulfur source in the polymerization.
It has now been discovered that the molecular weight of the polymer produced in the polymerization of a reaction mixture of halothiophenol, alkali metal hydroxide, and organic amide can be increased by increasing the molar ratio of alkali metal hydroxide to halothiophenol used as reactants.
It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide a method for producing arylene sulfide polymers having a high molecular weight. It is another object of this invention to provide a method for controlling the molecular weight of arylene sulfide polymer by adjusting the molar ratio of reactants used in producing the polymer.
Other aspects, objects, and the advantages of this invention will come apparent upon reading this specification and the appended claims.